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Brutalist Architecture in Jordan: Towards a Codifying Methodology

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Brutalist Architecture in Jordan: Towards a Codifying Methodology Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 Brutalist Architecture in Jordan: Towards a Codifying Methodology Sonia Al-Najjar Lecturer, Department of Architecture Engineering, Middle East University, Amman, P.O. Box, Amman 11831, Jordan. Email: [email protected]. Wael W. Al-Azhari Associate Professor, Department of Architecture Engineering, The University of Jordan, Aljubeiha, P.O. Box, Amman 11942, Jordan. Email: [email protected]. Abstract- Brutalist Architecture in Jordan was interpreted and developed in ways unique to the Jordanian experience. This paper traces the roots of Brutalism in Jordan, and presents an understanding of the conditions that led to the presence of this ‘style’ of building and a codifying methodology based on the world characteristics of the style. The research methodology depends on a codifying system for Brutalist Architecture in Jordan using Reyner Banham’s description of the characteristics of Brutalist Architecture which he explained in his seminal essay of December 1955, in which he attempted to codify the then emerging architectural movement of Brutalism. Nine building cases are chosen and analyzed using ‘operationalizing’; i.e., validating real variables of Brutalist characteristics in selected buildings where the level at which the ranking or measuring approaches reality is called the ‘reliability’. The aim of ‘operationalizing’ is to make the characteristics validity and reliability accessible for more quantitative research. Buildings are chosen from different building categories including educational, corporate and government buildings. The choice of buildings conforms to the era between 1945 and 1985. The research concludes that there are some roots for New Brutalist architecture in Jordan, the buildings that represent this style adhere to the group of characteristics described in Banham’s article of 1955. Keywords- Brutalism; Brutalist Architecture; Modernism; Amman Architecture. I. INTRODUCTION The term New Brutalism or Brutalist Architecture is used to describe a form of architecture that appeared, mainly in Europe, from around 1945 - 1975. Uncompromisingly Modern, this trend in architecture was controversial at times, both striking and arresting and, perhaps like no other style before or since, aroused extremes of emotion and debate. Some regarded Brutalist buildings as monstrous soulless structures of concrete, steel and glass, whereas others saw the genre as a logical progression, having its own grace and balance [1]. Brutalism and its architects were not concerned about aesthetics, but other things in society; it was as much a social, ethical and moral movement as it was an architectural movement. The architects of the time were impugned with this moral consciousness. What remained of the hulking masses of concrete, sometimes other materials, represent an extraordinary period of incredible optimism and determination to use architecture to transform society. This was a particular architecture for ambitious times, gripped by a favour for change. Unfortunately, these original architectural and social ideologies have nowadays moved far from that orthodoxy and architecture has moved into new aspirations. II. ANTECEDENTS OF MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE IN JORDAN The greatest ideological appeal of the Modern movement was its claim to transcend ideology; and many saw Le Corbusier as the ‘revolutionary architect par excellence.’ Modernism came to defy traditional and region specific aesthetic and its indigenous locality. Instead, it encouraged the proliferation of Modernist vision beyond the margins of Europe to other continents and cultures, from post-colonial India to Latin America. Modernism shaped much of the history, culture and built fabric of the twentieth century. Globally, the new Modernist designed cities of Chandigarh and Brasilia were examples of the most ambitious and famous of Modernism’s numerous expressions in architecture and urbanism. Modern architecture was imported a as a high visible symbol and an effective instrument of a radical program to create thoroughly modern Westernized nations. Volume XII, Issue III, 2020 Page No: 3827 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 The Post-war years in the Arab World saw the rise of Arab nationalism, modernization and the establishment of many independent Arab states. Despite many conflicts, wars and years of unrest to follow, the construction boom continued in the Arab States. The Arab League was formed in 1945 to represent the interests of the Arabs, and especially to pursue the political unification of the Arab world, a project known as Pan-Arabism [2]. Jordan saw most of its building projects in the post war years; 1945 onwards, following Jordan’s independence from the British Mandate in 1946. The Post-war years in Jordan have witnessed the building of a nation, most prominently the establishment of the Jordanian constitution in 1952 along many other state developments in spite of the political and regional turmoil [3]. Having weathered the tumultuous radicalism of the 1950s, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan entered the decade of the 1960s with renewed hope and confidence. The 1960s proved to be promising years, as the economy started to take off. The industrial backbone of Jordan’s modern economy—the potash, phosphate and cement industries—were developed during this time. In Zarqa, East of Amman, an oil refinery was constructed. The country was linked by a network of highways, and a new educational system was introduced to the Kingdom. In 1962, the Kingdom constructed its first national university, Jordan University, at Jubeiha, on the outskirts of Amman city [3]. Prior to the 1967 War, Jordan witnessed higher rates of economic growth than most other developing countries. A thriving construction industry provided job opportunities for Jordanians, while tourism from Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the many East Bank attractions provided the Kingdom with a wellspring of foreign exchange income. The economy was further boosted by remittances from Jordanian expatriates who left to work in the countries of the Arabian Gulf. The progress the Kingdom underwent during these years gave rise to a new middle class of educated Jordanians keen on building their country. As this group of professionals grew in number and talent, Jordan became more stable. First generation of Jordanian architects in the 1950s, were graduates of nearby countries like Egypt and Lebanon. Some of them were graduates of institutions i.e. Cairo University (King Fuad I University) then, American University of Beirut and Alexandria University. Architectural education in the Arab world at that time focused on the Modernist ideology imported by academics who adapted the Western model of architectural theory. The legacy of local architecture or traditional as the Postmodernism years would suggest later, were absent in the early years of architectural practice in Jordan and the Arab World. Architects adapted Western architectural schools’ thought and applied it in Jordan using local materials, mainly stone. This juxtaposition was the main ingredient for creating a contemporary but a national identity in architecture. This trend of applying Western thought using local materials would articulate and continue to shape much of the Jordanian built environment to this day. Modernist buildings in Jordan varied between residential, public or state buildings. These building projects were mostly commissioned by the state or private ownerships. One of the earliest iconic Modernist buildings is the multi-story Insurance Building in Amman, designed by the Lebanese architect Khalil Khoury, and was completed in 1962. The 11-story building was the highest in Amman back then and its modern design featured open office space, Figure 1. Another prominent Modernist who designed many buildings in Amman was the renowned Egyptian architect Sayed Karim. Karim designed most of the cinema buildings in the city of Amman in the mid-1950s. One of these famous cinema buildings was Al-Hussein Cinema in Downtown Amman completed around 1954, Figure 2. The modernist buildings in Amman at that time echoed much of the philosophy of Modernism specifically those explained in Le Corbusier essays in Towards a New Architecture, i.e. honest materials and minimalism in plans and masses [4]. Volume XII, Issue III, 2020 Page No: 3828 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 Figure 1. Insurance Building in Amman, designed Figure 2. Al-Khayyam Cinema in downtown Amman designed by Sayed Karim, by the Lebanese architect Khalil Khoury, completed in 1949. completed in 1962. Jordan Cement Factories Company was established in 1951 in Fuheis with a plant and a head office. The Fuheis site was chosen due to its proximity to water sources and the abundance of geological formations suitable for cement manufacturing. The first cement production line began operating in 1954 with a daily capacity of 200 tons of clinker [5]. III. WHAT IS BRUTALIST ARCHITECTURE The development of the Brutalist style found much of its vocabulary of the late work of Le Corbusier especially his Béton brut manner. Unité d'Habitation is arguably the most influential Brutalist building of all time. Le Corbusier believed the tower block was the solution for rehousing the masses that had been displaced during the Second World War, and that high-rise building could be used to create spacious city homes with the same amenities as a typical street. Swiss-French
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